LOVE AND LAUGHTER – Mort and Irene Sable, married 63 years, keep laughter at the heart of their lives and feel it is the secret to enjoying their “golden years.”

For Mort Sable the secret of life is humor

Folks getting together with Mort Sable better be prepared to do two things: listen well and laugh much.

“He doesn’t stop,” said Sable’s wife, Irene, of her husband’s continual joke telling. “Some of them are so old.”

Fortunately, they’re still funny.

Indeed, Sable is best known by friends throughout his Hyannis hometown of 20+ years for his whip-smart wit and ability to keep people chuckling. Laughter, he feels, is what life should be all about.

Sable was born in 1922 – 2/22/22 to be exact – in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1943 Sable entered World War II, his military career taking him from gunnery school flight training in Memphis to Quonset Point, RI, and ultimately to Otis, where he had the pleasure of meeting Irene.

“Jet planes were just coming into existence at the time,” Sable said. “When I first got here, I went to Otis to get flight time. You had to be in a plane so many hours.”

From the air and on land, Sable discovered that the Cape was a wealth of lakes, ponds and streams, along with its miles of beautiful ocean shoreline.

“That made me admire what Cape Cod is,” he said, adding that the Cape’s beauty was what inspired them to retire here.

The couple married in 1947 and in their 63-year marriage reared three children.

Sable’s post-military employment included working as a sales representative for Leviton, as president of Liberty Electric Supply Co., and conducting supermarket demonstrations.

He has also been a bingo caller, and is the senior vice commander for the American Legion Post 206.

At an age when many couples opt to slow down and enjoy their “golden years,” Irene is quick to point out that she and Mort keep quite busy.

“We’re not couch potatoes,” she said.

They often enjoy Chinese food at their favorite Main Street restaurant, Dragon Lite, and spend much time at the Barnstable Senior Center, where they take in movies and participate in myriad activities.

“They have a lot of activities, actually,” said Irene, who noted that the couple recently took computer classes there.

At the foundation of their lives, however, is laughter. Sable said it is at the heart of the couple’s relationship, which remains strong even after more than six decades of marriage.

“We make up before we go to bed,” he said. “And we like each other.”

Laughter, Sable said, has gotten the couple through some of their tougher moments.

“When you speak to somebody who’s 88 years old and has had prostate reduction, bladder cancer and kidney stone removal, it’s nice to make them laugh or smile,” he said.

“Jokes keep him going,” said Irene.

At one point Sable was part of something dubbed the Laughter Club, which was basically a group of folks that got together to tell jokes. While the group disbanded for lack of members, Sable still enjoys getting in a good zinger.

“I appreciate people laughing,” he said. “I appreciate making people laugh with me and at me.”

One of Sable’s favorite jokes is one involving an elderly couple rocking on their rocking chairs. The wife begins reminiscing about how they used to hold hands, how she used to rest her head on his shoulder, and how he used to nibble on her ear and how nice it would be if they could still do such things.

Suddenly, the husband gets up and walks away. “Where are you going?,” asks the wife. “To get my teeth.”

Nothing is off limits for Sable, who admits to writing songs, and coming up with new adult beverages for seniors.

“What do you get when you mix vodka with Milk of Magnesia?” He asks. “A Phillips Screwdriver.”

“He doesn’t stop,” said Irene, laughing. “He’s always at it.”

“I like what George Burns said,” said Sable. “He said that when he got up in the morning, he read the obituaries and if he wasn’t in them, everything was good.”

With a nod and a smile, Irene offers a parting piece of advice.

“Never stop going,” she said. “It keeps you young. Keep going at all times, and remember: a sunny day is a beautiful day.”